


Mission: Immortal Levi

by valisi



Series: Vespers [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Backstory, Dominant Erwin Smith, Eventual Levi/Erwin Smith, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-13
Updated: 2016-07-13
Packaged: 2018-07-23 19:25:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7476765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valisi/pseuds/valisi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Erwin finds out that Levi is ill, he uses the situation to further his agenda and force Levi to create bonds with other soldiers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Rated mature for Levi's horrible language, Erwin's tobacco use and suggestive physical encounters.
> 
> This takes place two days after the Survey Corps returns from the expedition where Isabel and Furlan were killed.

Erwin left the meeting room. It wasn't a hard fight to convince the commanding officers that Levi would be an asset. Levi made it easy after he killed so many Titans on his own. However, Levi was still having trouble making connections with the other soldiers. So even though he was a Titan killing machine, they felt like he wouldn't be an asset if he continued to provoke and fight with other soldiers. He wasn't making many friends. 

“Squader Leader Erwin,” someone called. Erwin turned and saw Flaxman running towards him at full speed. The young man bent over to catch his breath. 

“What is it, Flaxman?” 

“Levi,” he said between heavy breaths. “He's sick, sir.” Erwin raised his eyebrows. 

“Sick?” 

“Yes,” he said. “He didn't show up to PT this morning. So I went to check on him. He's in bed.” 

“Very good, Flaxman,” Erwin clapped him on the shoulder. “Go back to your work. I'll take it from here.” Erwin walked away and Flaxman sat on the floor. 

Erwin went directly to the male barracks. When he went into the room where Levi's bunk was, there were several men surrounding his bed, and a man was posted at the door.

“Has anyone called the medic yet?” Erwin asked. The door man saluted, and the others around Levi's bed turned to face Erwin. They saluted as well.

“Squad Leader, Erwin. The medic has come and gone,” the man at the door said.

“What do you mean?” 

“He went to get the doctor. He says it looks like he has the flu.” Erwin walked past the soldiers and looked down at Levi. They had stripped him down, and the medic had put a cold compress on his forehead. Levi was flushed with fever and his breathing was deep. His lips were cracked and looked very pale against his red face.

“Have all of you had the flu this year?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“You're dismissed. I'll wait for the doctor.” 

“Thank you, sir,” they saluted again and left the room. The man at the door stayed. Erwin pulled a stool up next to the bed and waited. 

“Levi?” Erwin wiped Levi's head with the cold rag. Levi opened his eyes, and looked to Erwin. 

“You'll get sick, you idiot.” Levi's throat hurt terribly. It was hard to talk. 

“If you do have the flu,” Erwin said. Levi pulled the bed sheets up and coughed into them. “I've already had it this year.” Erwin pulled the rag off of Levi's head, folded it and put it back on Levi's head with the cooler side down. 

“My whole body hurts,” Levi said. 

“We'll get you some medicine for that.” Erwin ran his hand over Levi's hair. 

“The doctor is here, sir,” the man at the door said. 

“Thank you,” Erwin said. The doctor walked into the room. 

“Good morning, Erwin.” 

“Good morning,” Erwin said.

“The medic said the flu, but it's late in the year to have it,” the doctor said his bag down. 

“Levi hasn't been with us very long. He's also from the Underground.” 

“The Underground, huh?” Erwin stood from the stool and offered it to the doctor. “I'm surprised he's sick then.” Erwin was confused. 

“Mr. Ackerman, I'm Dr. Brandt.” Dr. Brandt took the wet rag off of Levi's head. He wrapped his arms around Levi and helped him to sit up. He tied a handkerchief around Levi's head to cover his nose and mouth. “If you have to cough, go ahead. This will catch it.” He put his stethoscope in his ears and listened to Levi's chest. “Just breathe normally for me.” Levi began coughing, and Erwin winced. It was a wet cough, and it was deep. “Very good,” he pulled the handkerchief away from Levi's face and inspected his nose and throat. Gently, he helped Levi lay back down. 

“When did you notice that you weren't feeling well, Levi?” Erwin asked.

“Yesterday or the day before,” Levi said very quietly. His throat was on fire. The doctor nodded. 

“What do you think, Dr. Brandt?” Erwin asked. 

“It's good that he's coughing productively, but that's the only thing that's good. I believe he does have the flu, but his lungs already sound pretty bad. Of course, with the flu you always run the risk of pneumonia.” 

“So what can we do for him?” 

“Normally, I would admit him to the hospital, but I don't want to do that,” Dr. Brandt put his stethoscope away. 

“Why?”

“In the Underground, he would have to have a excellent immune system. However, now that he's here with us, he's caught this type of flu that his body hasn't had before. So if I put him in the hospital, his body might have to fight off other things that he could catch there. 

“In the military, you all work very closely together, so he will catch illnesses that he's around, and he'll fight them off. However, if I put him in a public hospital, he'll come in contact with many different things all at once. I don't want to overload his body, so I think it's best to keep him here. You all have much better health care anyway.” 

“He should've avoided the flu because of the time of the year, right?” 

“Sure, but if he only had contact with one person while they were contagious then he would've caught it. It's new to his body so it had very little protection at all. I'm not saying that you should fully quarantine him, but I am saying that the fewer people around him, the better for now.” 

“I understand,” Erwin said. He turned to look at the door man. “Go get a stretcher from the medic.” 

“Yes, sir!” The soldier ran. 

“You're going to move him? He should be fine here.” The doctor stood from the stool and looked around the room.

“I have a better idea,” Erwin said. “He needs as much rest as he can get, right?” 

“Sure,” the doctor nodded. “If you'll let me know where you're taking him, I'll send my assistant over with his medicine.” 

“So how long do you think he'll need?” 

“As long as you can keep him hydrated, he'll do fine. If he ever gets cold and clammy skin, complains of sharp pain in his chest or has serious trouble breathing, then you'll need to call for me again. If his fever spikes above 103, you'll need to take emergency measures,” Dr. Brandt nodded to Erwin. “Fevers have a tendency to spike at night. Night time care is very important. If you do all of that, he should recover quickly.” 

“Thank you, Dr. Brandt.” The doctor picked up his bag and left the room, and two young men came into the room with the stretcher. Erwin lifted Levi out of the bed with the bed sheet wrapped around him. “We're moving him to my room in the officers' house.” 

“No-” Levi began to say something, but Erwin shoved the handkerchief back over his face. 

“Don't talk, Levi. Take him to my room, men, and then go shower so you don't get infected. You'll also have to clean his bunk. His locker will be fine though.” Levi glared at Erwin with all of his might. He heard what the doctor had said. He didn't have to be moved. The soldiers looked nervous, and that made them move quickly. Erwin moved with them in stride. He would have to work during the day, but he could recruit help. He smiled. Maybe it was wrong to take advantage of the situation, but if he could endear Levi to a few people he would stop being such a pain in the ass.

They made it quickly to Erwin's room. Erwin turned his bed down. He lifted Levi off of the stretcher and placed him on the bed. Erwin quickly covered him up. Levi had been glaring at him all the way to the house, but he looked very tired. Levi had been imagining breaking Erwin's long ass legs the entire time. 

“Sir,” one of the soldiers said. “If he's so contagious, having him in your room is a bad idea.” 

“Right,” Erwin said. The soldiers stared in disbelief and confusion. They couldn't argue with a superior, but the whole thing seemed very suspicious. “So go find Mike Zacharius and ask him to come here. Also, we're going to need a cot in this room for me to sleep on.” 

“Yes, sir!” The soldiers left with the stretcher. Erwin tucked the covers around Levi.

“Erwin?” Levi's voice was very hoarse. 

“I'm making sure you don't get cold,” Erwin smiled. 

“I will get out of this bed and fight you.” His voice was almost completely gone. It was a hollow threat.

“Be quiet, Levi. You need rest,” he said. “How about some tea?” Levi didn't object. Erwin made tea for him, and he seemed a bit more satisfied then. Erwin sat Levi up and propped the pillow behind him. “Drink your tea, Levi.” Levi held his cup with both hands this time. Levi's handkerchief was still over his face and had to lift it to drink. Erwin turned from Levi and couldn't stifle a chuckle. Erwin started a fire in the fire place while they waited on Mike. 

Mike walked through the door about ten minutes later.

“Mike! I'm glad you're here,” Erwin greeted him with a big smile. Mike frowned. He was smelling the room. He looked at Levi. 

“He's sick,” Mike said. Two soldiers came into the room with a cot. 

“Where would you like this set up, Squad Leader?” 

“Over there,” Erwin pointed to the corner farthest from the bed where Levi was. 

“Yes, sir!” They placed the floor cot in the corner of the room and dressed it with linens. 

“You're dismissed, soldiers,” Erwin said. The privates left, and Mike turned to leave with them. 

“Not you, Mike,” Erwin said. “Close the door.” Mike turned back around and closed the door. He sighed. 

“What's wrong with him?” Mike eyed Levi. 

“He only has the flu.” 

“I've already heard that he has an Underground illness,” Mike said. Levi growled. 

“He doesn't. I'm not telling the soldiers what he has, and they will make their own assumptions. When he survives this, we'll tell everyone he almost died.” 

“What?” Mike balked at Erwin. Levi's jaw dropped and he started coughing again. 

“We're going to make him seem ridiculously strong. Levi is great at killing Titans, but we have to give him a reputation too. A good one,” Erwin looked at Levi. “Because right now his reputation is annoying enough that the commanders are asking about it. I know people have been provoking you, Levi, and you've been answering their prodding and poking with serious threats.” Levi drank some more of his tea after pulling the handkerchief off. “We're going to make Levi immortal.” Mike didn't say anything at first. 

“That sounds really stupid, Erwin.” 

“I know!” Erwin laughed. “That's why no one will question it.” Mike raised an eyebrow. Is this what mad genius looks like? 

“You've always been so many steps ahead of everyone, Erwin. If this is what you want,” Mike didn't finish his sentence. 

“Do you know of anyone that could stay with him in the mornings? Obviously I can't stay with him all day. You do the majority of your work in the mornings. I was hoping you would stay with him during the afternoons.” Mike crossed his arms and thought. 

“What's the incentive?” 

“Free lunch that isn't from the mess hall for his caretakers as long as he's here,” Erwin said. Levi put his empty tea cup on the nightstand and wriggled up under the covers. Erwin moved his big chair over closer to the bed. Mike seemed to be thinking really hard. Erwin sat in his chair. 

“I know someone,” Mike said. “The free lunch won't matter much to her, but I do know the incentive.” 

“Who?” 

“Squad Leader Hange Zoe?”

“Oh!” Erwin said. “Hange would be perfect, but what is her incentive?” He smiled down at Levi. 

“She wants to begin a new curriculum for soldiers about Titan theories, but she needs willing, or captive, participants for her trial classes. So it could benefit both her and Levi to be in here with each other in the mornings,” Mike said. Levi had closed his eyes and stopped listening. Erwin felt of Levi's forehead. 

“Please go get her, Mike. We both need to get back to work.” Mike left the room and didn't bother to close the door. Erwin went to the washroom and ran fresh cold water over Levi's rag that he brought with him. He returned and placed it back on Levi's forehead. He sat in his chair. It didn't take nearly as long for Hange to report as it did for Mike to arrive the first time. 

“Erwin!” Hange was smiling and leaning in the door. 

“Come in,” Erwin stood and adjusted his uniform. “Close the door.” Hange closed the door with a smile. Looking around the room, Hange's face changed to concern after noticing Levi. 

“Hange, he has the flu. However, we're going to tell everyone that he's knocking on death's door from a mysterious Underground illness.” Hange looked even more confused than Mike. 

“What?” 

“Yes,” Erwin smiled. “I know it sounds silly, but you've seen the prejudice that Levi has dealt with recently right?” Levi stirred. Erwin grinned at him. So he was pretending to be asleep. 

“I have,” Hange said. Her face softened. 

“It's been pretty brutal, huh?” Erwin tilted his head. He didn't think it had been so bad. 

“I think that it has,” Hange said. “Maybe it doesn't bother him as much as it bothers me to watch it happening.” 

“Perhaps,” Erwin said with the shrug. “Levi has told me before that he's interested in learning more about the Titans.” The gleam in Hange's eyes brightened into a full shine and a grin stretched on her face from ear to ear. 

“Really?!” 

“Really,” Erwin said. “He's sleeping right now, but I know that's he interested in all of your Titan theories and information that you have. You can talk to him about it through the week.” Erwin laughed partly because Hange's face was suddenly so bright but also because he knew what Levi was going to hear throughout the week. Hange could have a complete conversation without participation from anyone else. If Levi was awake, he would hear every single theory, question and imaginative idea that Hange had about Titans. 

“I'm so glad you've invited me to do this, Erwin! I needed willing participants.” 

“How about a sandwich for lunch?” Erwin asked as he crossed the room to exit. 

“Thank you, sir!” Erwin left the room and closed the door. He pressed his ear to the closed door. He heard Hange cross the room and he assumed she sat down. 

“Are you awake?” Hange asked. Erwin smiled. Levi would have to be very stealthy. Unfortunately, Levi then went into a coughing fit. Erwin could hear Hange comforting him. “You must feel terrible. I'll talk very quietly then. Let me tell you where I think the Titans came from.” Erwin covered his mouth to stifle the laughter bursting from his face. He walked away from the door and refocused himself on his work day. 

Levi daydreamed about killing Erwin for a long while. Hange's voice was rather soothing though. Sometimes Hange would lose control of her excitement and get a little louder. When she began to get too loud, Levi winced a little. She instantly noticed and lowered her voice with an apology. Levi wasn't listening at first, but he slowly began to be interested in Hange's theories. He would mentally compare what he had seen of the Titans he had killed to what she was saying. Some of her theories and thoughts were completely ridiculous, but some of them made quite a lot of sense. It was entertaining for a while, and then he he napped in intervals.

Levi woke up again when he heard the bedroom door open. Hange was still talking, but it was white noise to him now. 

“Lunch time,” he heard Erwin say. Levi wasn't hungry. Mike walked through the door with Erwin. 

Hange stood with a smile. 

“Thank you, sir!” she said and took her sandwich from him. She sat on the floor and began to eat. Mike took the chair and started his lunch too. “Erwin, Levi is like a sponge! He's soaking up everything I'm saying!” 

“Really?” Erwin asked. Levi rolled over on his side in the bed so he faced Erwin and away from Hange. “You should test him at the end of the week.” One of Levi's eyes opened and stared at Erwin. Erwin could feel the heat of the stare all of the way from where he was standing. 

“That's actually a good idea,” Hange said. “These classes are going to help us defeat the Titans. I just know it. Levi's ability to handle Titans will change after this.” Levi's brow furrowed. Erwin wondered if Levi thought he was only torturing him. 

“Erwin,” Levi said. His voice was very weak. Erwin crossed the room and knelt next to The bed. “Where is my medicine?” 

“Hange? His medicine hasn't come yet?” 

“No one has come to the door,” she said. Hange saw the clock on Erwin's bedside table. “Oh! I have to go!” She stood and began walking out of the door. “Thanks for the lunch! See you tomorrow Levi!” Erwin waved to her and stood. 

“I'm going to check on your medicine delivery now, Levi. I'm sorry. The doctor must have gotten busy and forgotten,” Erwin said. “Thank you, Mike. Also, please make sure he's hydrated. I forgot to tell Hange that.” Erwin left the room and closed the door. 

Levi heard Mike continue to eat his lunch and crinkle the sandwich paper. Levi's head began hurting more and he felt disoriented for a while. He closed his eyes for only a few minutes before he heard Mike begin walking across the room. 

Mike knelt down in front of Levi and lifted the covers. He pulled one of Levi's hands out and pinched the skin on the back of his hand. The skin didn't retract very quickly. Without a word, Mike stood and left the room. When he came back, he had two pitchers of water and a cup. Mike took the rag off of Levi's head and set it to the side. He helped Levi sit up to drink some of the water. Levi drank it gratefully. He didn't realize how thirsty he had been. Levi pulled away from the cup. 

“More” Mike said. He held the cup closer to Levi's face. Levi drank some more, but Mike didn't tilt the cup down until it was completely empty. Levi coughed after he finished the water. 

“You'll fucking drown me,” he said in hoarse voice. Mike was pouring another cup. 

“We have to make you pee in the next thirty minutes.” 

“Huh?” Mike put the cup in Levi's face again. Levi drank only a little, and pulled from the cup. Mike put his hand on the back of Levi's head and held him in place while tilting the cup up.

“Drink or drown,” he said. “We have to make you pee.” Levi drank quickly. He was gasping after he had finished the cup. Gasping made his cough. Mike filled the cup again, and Levi felt his heart race. There was a knock at the door. Mike sat the cup down on the side table. Levi sighed with relief. Mike answered the door. A young man was standing there offering up a bag to Mike.

“I'm sorry! I got lost! I've never been to a castle-” Mike closed the door before the person had stopped talking. Mike took two bottles out of the bag and began reading the paper that was delivered with them. Levi watched him read carefully.

“Strong cough syrup with a pain medication and a decongestant with an expectorant,” he said. He opened the bottles and smelled them. 

“I have to piss,” Levi said. He thought Mike wouldn't give him the medicine if he didn't piss first. 

“Good,” Mike said. “This cough syrup is going to put you to sleep, and you need to pee before you sleep again.” Levi knew it. This guy was like Erwin but not as quick. Levi sat on the side of the bed for a minute. He felt dizzy. Mike put the bottles on the table and opened Erwin's wardrobe. Mike grabbed a shirt and tossed it over to Levi. Levi put it on and began to button it. It was too big. Levi sat on the bed until he thought he could stand. 

“Are you dizzy?” Levi nodded and stood there for a while before he began walking. Mike grabbed the cup of water from the table. Levi felt so exposed in nothing but his underwear and a huge shirt. He wished he had his clothes. Mike walked Levi to the toilet. Levi lifted the seat and peed only a little. Levi adjusted his underwear to cover himself up and Mike looked into the toilet. “Dark. You need more water.” Levi flushed the toilet, and turned around to look up at Mike. Mike handed him the cup of water. Levi took it and began drinking immediately. “Are you still dizzy?” Levi shook his head. Mike turned away and began walking back to the room. Levi followed him slowly while trying to down the water.

Levi directly went back to bed and set down the empty cup. He found his handkerchief and wiped his nose which had begun running. Mike measured out the cough syrup in a medicine cup and handed it to Levi. He then poured Levi some more water. Levi took the syrup. It was disgusting. Levi drank some of the water that Mike poured and sat the cup back down along with the medicine cup. Mike poured Levi some more water.

Levi adjusted in bed and laid down. The pillow was very soft and fluffy. He liked it. Mike crossed the room, picked a book from Erwin's shelf and sat down in the chair to read it. Levi looked at the book Mike was reading. Mike looked up from the book. He flipped back to page one and began reading to Levi out loud. It was a history book about the walls. The information was good, but Mike's voice wasn't very enthusiastic. It didn't take long for Levi to fall asleep again. Mike stopped reading out loud when he saw Levi had fallen asleep with his mouth open. He closed the book and leaned his head back in the chair. 

Mike thought back to the day that Levi killed the Titans that had killed his friends. He wondered how the man he saw that day and the man he saw now could be the same person. Why would Levi allow Erwin to treat him this way? Erwin was a good man, and he actually had a tender heart. Levi seemed to have a heart of stone though. Mike didn't see Levi grieve for his friends like a normal man might. He barely took any time off from work after the mission. 

Mike thought that Levi and Erwin must be more similar that he realized. Neither of them allowed very much time of recover after events that would normally crush someone. After the day Levi had killed the Titans, Mike had been legitimately concerned that Levi would continue to try and assassinate Erwin. Mike warned his friend, but Erwin was convinced that Levi was over the idea. Levi was crude and harsh. Erwin had always been so smooth, highly educated and charismatic. So what common ground could they possibly have? Was the hatred of Titans so strong that they were able to connect in this way?

The sun began to lower in the sky and the light in the room changed. Mike stoked the fire and fed it more wood. He then opened the window to get Levi some fresh air. 

Erwin walked through the door. Mike turned and saw Erwin seemed relieved. 

“Good day?” Mike asked. 

“Good now that it's over,” Erwin said. “How is he doing?” 

“I gave him his cough syrup and he's been out since then. He'll need more water, but he peed earlier,” Mike said. “It's dark though.”

“Thank you, Mike,” Erwin said. It sounded very sincere. 

“Erwin,” Mike said. Erwin frowned. “This isn't about making Levi immortal is it.” 

“You've been in here thinking haven't you, Mike,” Erwin said. He smiled. It was impossible for him to hide almost anything from Mike. 

“Do you honestly think this will draw him closer?” Erwin approached Mike and looked him in the eye. 

“You saw the Underground, Mike.” Erwin tilted his head. “Having him gain a citizenship here was excellent, but that won't be enough to keep him here.” 

“He may not be capable of making these types of connections, Erwin.” 

“I know that he is,” Erwin said. “Within the next few days, you will see.” Mike looked over at the unconscious man in the bed. 

“Wager?” Mike asked.

“Absolutely.” 

“Name it.” 

“Once Levi recovers, he will attempt to pay us back in small various ways to reciprocate loyalty.” 

“Even Hange?” 

“Even Hange.” 

“I say he'll continue his daily routine without a second thought,” Mike said defiantly. Erwin offered his hand and Mike shook it firmly. This might be the only wager against Erwin he would win. Mike retracted his hand. He put the book he borrowed back in its place on the shelf. 

“The instructions for his medicine are on the table. I gave him cough syrup at 1:30. See you tomorrow,” Mike said when he left. Erwin began removing his boots and parts of his uniform and hanging them up. There was a shirt missing from his wardrobe. Levi must be wearing it. He looked at the medicine bottles and read the instructions. Levi could have more cough syrup anytime he wanted. Erwin thought they should start his decongestant at bedtime. 

Erwin folded the instructions and put them back on the table. He crossed the room and sat in the window sill. He considered smoking a cigarette, but he knew that he needed to save them. He was running low. 

Levi sat up in bed and drank some water. He looked around. His mouth felt very dry, and he knew he had slept with his mouth open. Erwin was sitting the window sill without a cigarette. Levi looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. He had slept for a long time. 

“I'll give you some more medicine after your dinner,” Erwin said. Levi ran his hand through his hair to try and smooth it out. 

“Not hungry,” Levi said very quietly. 

“I know,” Erwin said. “I'm going to go get it now. The sooner you eat, the sooner we can give you more medicine.” Erwin left the room and Levi checked the time again. He looked down and realized he was still in Erwin's shirt. He drank the rest of his water and laid back down. 

Erwin came back with a tray. He sat it down on the table next to his chair. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Shitty,” Levi said. Erwin sat in his chair and began eating potato soup out of a bowl. 

“I had a pretty good day. At first, the Commanders weren't sure they wanted to use my formation anymore because it fell apart so quickly in the rain,” Erwin said. “But then I proved that I had implemented special weather restrictions for the formation before we even left for the mission. Everyone was supposed to pull in tightly during low visibility and move as a single unit. The groups that you found was attempting to return to the tight formation, and they were unable to get back in time. We made some minor changes, and then they seemed satisfied.” Erwin focused on his food and finished it quickly.

Levi sat up and began coughing. He coughed until tears began running down his face. Erwin stood and rubbed Levi's back. Levi was gasping. Erwin moved Levi down in the bed. He grabbed a bowl from the tray and sat behind Levi in the bed putting one of his long legs on either side of Levi. 

“Lean against me,” he told Levi. Levi leaned back against Erwin's chest. “This is chicken stock,” Erwin said. “It's warm enough to drink.” He wrapped his arms around Levi and offered the bowl to his mouth. 

Levi took a sip from the bowl. He couldn't taste very well, but what he could taste was good and seemed to have a little salt. Levi took the bowl with his own hands and drank some of it by himself. When he started coughing, Erwin took the bowl from him so he wouldn't spill it. Erwin gave him some more of the stock, and Levi drank it greedily. It was warm, and it made his nose run. He wiped his nose with his handkerchief.

“Tonight will be the worst, Levi,” Erwin said. “Tomorrow will be much better. I really don't think it's going to take you very long to recover.” 

Levi took the bowl from Erwin and drank the stock slowly. It didn't take him long to finish it though. Erwin took the bowl and pulled his legs back to get out of the bed. 

“Stay sitting up for a while, and I'll give you more medicine,” he said as he got out of the bed. He sat the bowl down and walked around the bed to the side table. He measured out Levi's cough syrup and handed it to him. Levi took it and his water cup. It was still empty. Erwin took the cup from him, filled it with water and handed it back to him. Levi took his medicine and chased it with water. He shook his head because it tasted so bad and handed the medicine cup back to Erwin. Erwin opened the bottle of decongestant capsules. He handed one to Levi. Levi took it and swallowed it with water. He sat his cup back on the table and rubbed his eyes. Levi laid back down in the bed. He was too low in the bed for the pillow. Erwin grabbed him under the arms and pulled him up so his head was on the pillow. 

Levi rolled over on his side so he could see the window. Erwin adjusted the blankets over Levi and returned to the window sill to sit. 

“When I was sick, my father was an excellent caretaker,” Erwin said. “I really miss him.” Levi closed his eyes and thought about his mother. He missed her. His mother worked a lot, and when he was sick as a child she did her best. After she died, he didn't get sick very much anymore. He actually had not been sick in years. “My father was a school teacher.” Levi opened his eyes and looked at Erwin. Erwin was already looking back at him. “Those books on the shelf are mostly his.” Levi began another coughing fit and Erwin watched him to make sure he wouldn't choke or vomit. Levi sat up in bed and wiped his face with his handkerchief. His throat was feeling better. The stock must have helped. Levi pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. He rested his head on his knees. 

“It will take a while for the medicine to help,” Erwin said. He stood from the window sill and crossed the room. “Lift your head.” Levi lifted his head and Erwin felt of it. “You're still warm.” Erwin felt of bed sheets under Levi. “You haven't sweated through the sheets though.” 

“Gross,” Levi said. 

“Sweat is good. At least you're not vomiting.” Erwin tilted his head. “Did Mike put my shirt on you?” 

“Yeah.” Erwin smiled. Erwin crossed the room and sat in the window sill again. He lit a cigarette and dragged on it. 

“Did you learn a lot from Hange?” 

“Some,” Levi said. He laid back down flat on his back. The pillow felt good under his heavy head. “I'm not taking her fucking test though.” 

“I've never seen anyone so thoroughly obsessed with Titans like Hange. That will be an asset later, I think.” Levi took a deep breath and released it. 

“My chest is hurting,” he said. 

“Where?” The was some concern in Erwin's voice. Levi rubbed his sternum. “That's probably from coughing so much. Is it very sharp?” 

“Dull ache,” Levi said. 

“That's fine,” Erwin said. He returned to his cigarette and attempted to relax a little more. Levi was breathing deeply and slowly. “Are you asleep again?” Erwin asked quietly. 

“Not yet,” Levi mumbled. He seemed to be on his way there though. Erwin put his cigarette out in his ash tray and left the window sill to sit in his chair. 

Erwin left the window open so they would have plenty of fresh air. He sat down and stared at the cot in the corner of the room. He didn't want to sleep there. He was exhausted from having to think so quickly. It wasn't very easy to convince the commanders that his formation could still work. Levi's mouth had fallen open and he snored lightly. 

Erwin stood and undressed for bed down his underwear. He put on some long sleeping pants. After checking the fire to make sure it would last for the night, he grabbed the pillow from the cot and then slipped into bed next to Levi. Luckily, Levi was a side sleeper so Erwin had plenty of room in the bed to stretch out. Erwin closed his eyes and attempted to relax. He felt tired, but his mind was racing. Levi's light snoring was kind of comforting. 

Erwin laid there in the dimly lit room and stared at the ceiling. The sun was setting. It wasn't normal for him to be so tired so early, but he hadn't been sleeping much since the mission. 

He kept replaying it in his mind. He dwelt on all of the men and women who lost their lives. He imagined what would've happened if Levi had overestimated his abilities and had not been able to kill the Titans. He briefly considered what would have happened if Levi had succeeded in assassinating him. A more frightening thought was, what if he had not convinced Levi to continue fighting? Erwin slowly surfaced from his deep thoughts and closed his eyes. He focused only on Levi's deep breathing. The sun had fully set and the room was barely lit from the fire. Before long, Erwin had fallen into a deep sleep. 

Erwin woke up enough to feel like rolling over. He rubbed his eyes and rolled over on his side facing away from Levi. When he settled back in, his senses became more alert and realized Levi was breathing a lot faster that he should be. Erwin sat up and turned around. He put his hand down on the bed sheets to brace himself, and they were damp. Levi was breathing heavily and a bit fast. Erwin reached around and felt of his forehead. Levi's skin was on fire and he was trembling. 

“Levi?” He rolled Levi over on his back. Levi instantly began coughing. Erwin helped sit him up and gently patted his back. Levi's entire body felt unnaturally hot. Erwin got out of bed awkwardly. He continued to support Levi to sit up in bed. When both of his feet were on the floor, he slid his arms under Levi and lifted him in his arms. 

“Are you cold, Levi?” Levi began coughing again, but shook his head. His face was very flushed and sweat ran down his forehead. Erwin left the room with Levi and headed to the showers. 

Levi was mumbling all the way down the hall. Erwin ignored him and entered the shower room. He turned on one of the faucets. He adjusted the hot and cold knobs until it was lukewarm. 

“This is warm water, Levi. It's going to feel like it's freezing,” Erwin said. He stepped under the water and sat down under the spraying water with Levi still in his arms. 

Levi began coughing. He balled up in Erwin's arms trying to get away from the water. Erwin held him tightly.

“I know,” Erwin said. “I'm sorry, Levi. I know it's cold.” He slicked Levi's hair back from his face. “We'll get in front of the fire and dry off in a minute.” Erwin sat with Levi under the shower head and held Levi close. When Levi began relaxing a bit more and seemed more comfortable, Erwin turned off the shower. He stood. He hadn't thought to bring a towel. He tucked Levi as close to his own body as he could and they both went back to his room. They trailed water the whole way. 

Erwin sat down with Levi in front of the fire. He grabbed the sheet from the cot and began drying Levi's hair and face. Erwin took his shirt off of Levi back and dried off Levi's chest and arms. He wrapped the sheet around Levi and left him sitting up in front of the fire. Erwin stood and removed his wet clothes. He hung them on the rack in front of the fire. Levi caught a glimpse of Erwin removing his clothes and closed his eyes. He peeked just to see Erwin's long legs but they walked away from him.

Erwin took two towels from his wardrobe. He dried himself off and put on a fresh pair of underwear. He pulled the wet sheet off of Levi but left it under him so he wasn't on bare floor. He knelt down. 

“Levi?” Levi opened his eyes. “We have to get you completely dry.” Levi narrowed his eyes. Erwin rubbed him down with the towel. Of course, his underwear was still soaked. He laid the towel over Levi's hips. “Take them off.” Levi laid down. He reached under the towel and lifted his hips to remove his underwear. He began pushing them down, and couldn't reach much further. When Erwin saw the white fabric of underwear inching down Levi's legs, he grabbed the bottom hem and pulled them down the rest of the way. Levi breathed in sharply, but then coughed into his hand. Erwin tossed the underwear to the side and picked Levi up still wrapped in the towel. He put Levi back to bed and checked the time. He decided to double up on Levi's cough syrup. 

“Let's get you some more medicine,” Erwin said. He gave Levi a cup of the cough syrup and some water. Levi took the medicine, winced, drank his water and laid back down. Levi pulled the covers up and pulled the towel off of himself. He tossed it out of the bed. Erwin then hung Levi's underwear up to dry with his own. 

He took the towel he had used to dry himself off and went through the hallway mopping up the water with it. The rest would dry by morning. 

Erwin went back to his room and tossed the towel to the side. He laid back down in bed facing away from Levi. He pulled the covers over himself and relaxed. He had worried Levi's fever would spike, but he didn't know that they would have to do that. He was exhausted and fell asleep quickly after that. 

Levi inched away from Erwin. He coughed into his pillow a bit and tried to relax. It was difficult to relax with Erwin next to him. When the cough syrup began working and he closed his eyes, he fell fast asleep.


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi has improved from the day before, but his fever hasn't broken. Erwin insists that Hange and Mike stay with him for the day again.

It seemed to both of them that they had not laid down long before Erwin's alarm clock went off. He sat up, turned it off and sat on the edge of the bed for a while. He considered laying back down to rest longer. Levi sat up in bed too and looked around. His underwear was across the room. 

Levi was feeling better. He felt of his own head and thought his fever might have reduced or completely broken. Erwin was sitting on the edge of the bed, hunched over, holding his head in his hands. Levi looked around for his handkerchief. He found it, blew his nose and wiped it. Even his congestion seemed better. It was still a bit dark outside. It seemed like the sun was only rising.

Erwin stood from the bed then and began dressing for work in the darkened room. He walked around the room and began picking up the linens they had strewn and stacking up dishes. He took Levi's underwear from the rack and tossed them across the room at Levi. Levi caught them and put them on under the sheets. He wanted to say something to Erwin, but Erwin seemed to not be a morning person. Levi stood out of the bed and walked out of the room. 

Levi took a piss and then went downstairs to the kitchen. He put water into a kettle and boiled the water. He walked back upstairs with the hot water and two tea cups. When he entered the room, Erwin was sitting in his chair. He had a book in his hand, but his head was leaned back in the chair. He had fallen asleep. He hadn't even lit a candle to have enough light to read. So he woke up this early just to read? Levi thought that was weird, but he made tea for both of them. There was left over water in the pot and he poured it in one of the pitchers so he would have water for the day. He took the pot and some of the dishes back down to the kitchen so no one would miss it. 

When Levi returned to the room, he lit a candle for Erwin. He shook Erwin's shoulder. Erwin lifted his head and opened his blue eyes. Levi was standing there with a tea cup in his hand. It had hot tea in it. Erwin took it. 

“Thank you,” he drank some it. Levi sat on the edge of the bed with his own tea. 

“Read to me?” Levi asked very quietly. Erwin raised an eyebrow. He started at the beginning of the page. Levi stood and found Erwin's cigarettes. He brought them to him along with his ashtray. Erwin sat his tea cup down. Levi struck the match for Erwin so he could keep a hand on the book. 

Levi sat back down with his tea and listened. Levi was very interested in this book. It was about geography of the land within the walls and about the monarchy in the center. It seemed more like a child's school book though. The vocabulary was very simple and the sentences were short. Erwin finished his cigarette quickly. Levi sipped his tea while it was still warm. He coughed in intervals, but it wasn't nearly as strong as it had been. They read for about thirty minutes before Erwin looked over at the time. He closed the book and handed it to Levi. Erwin finished his cool tea quickly. 

“I need to do PT before work,” he stood and adjusted his uniform. Levi nodded and opened the book where they had left off. “I'm glad you're feeling so much better, Levi. Don't forget to rest today though. You'll illness isn't completely gone yet.” 

“I know,” Levi said without looking up from the book. His voice was stronger.

“Take your decongestant this morning. And take some cough syrup if you don't want to listen to Hange all morning.” Levi's eyes widened. 

“I don't need anyone to sit with me today,” he said. 

“I know,” Erwin said. “But I still want someone to stay with you in case your fever increases again.” Erwin reached out and felt of Levi's forehead. “It's still there. It's just very low.” Levi pulled from his hand but didn't protest having people stay with him anymore. 

Erwin left the room, and Levi sat the book down. He looked around and saw that Erwin had arranged the towels on the rack in front of the fire. The second pillow was still in the bed though. Levi took the pillow from the cot and put it back in its place. He adjusted the room to make sure that no one would know they had such a rough night. More importantly he wanted to make sure no one would know they had slept in the same bed. He didn't know Hange and Mike well enough to give them those ideas about Erwin. Levi took his medicine and hoped it would work before Hange showed up. The sun began rising. 

He put Erwin's shirt back on and crawled into bed with the book. He had almost finished it before Hange walked through the door. 

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “You're reading!” 

“Yeah,” Levi flipped a page. Hange closed the door and got very close to Levi's book. He recoiled. 

“A child's text book?” she asked. Levi closed the book. “Don't tell anyone you know this, Levi. That book is full of contradictory information and propaganda. Let me give you some real information.” Levi put the book to the side and laid down in bed. It didn't take long for the medicine to put him to sleep despite Hange talking at full volume and speed. 

Levi woke up in the middle of Hange talking, but he didn't open his eyes. He listened to what she was saying, but he didn't want her to know that he was paying attention. He felt like she would want to ask questions if he acknowledged her. He was fine with receiving information, but he didn't want to share any unnecessary stories about the Underground if he could help it. 

Erwin walked through the door at lunch time. 

“Hey, Hange,” Erwin said. “Spaghetti from that civilian shop you like.” 

“Erwin!” she squealed. She took the box from Erwin. “I'm off! Levi is going to do great on his test!” She left the room and closed the door. Erwin sat down in his chair. 

“Were you able to sleep through most of it?” Erwin asked. 

“No,” Levi said. He opened his eyes. “But some of it is pretty interesting. I think she was drooling at one point.” 

“What?” 

“She said something about drooling on herself when she thinks about studying Titans in captivity,” Levi said. 

“Oh,” Erwin looked troubled. “That's-” 

“Fucking weird,” Levi provided. 

Mike walked through the door.

“Spaghetti and tomatoes,” Mike said when he closed the door. 

“You asked Hange?” Erwin said. 

“I'm not a cheater,” Mike said. Erwin smiled and handed his boxed lunch. 

“I'll see you this afternoon,” Erwin said. He left the room. Levi sat up in bed and continued his book. Mike ate his lunch. 

“You look like you're feeling better today,” Mike said. He sat the empty box to the side.

“Yeah,” Levi said. He poured himself a cup of water and drank it in front of Mike. 

“Let's do stretches today,” Mike said. 

“I'm still sick.” 

“Stretching won't exert you. If you've been in bed this whole time, you'll be sore when you go back to work,” Mike said. Levi frowned and shrugged. Mike was right of course, but Levi didn't want to do anything. Mike stood. “Come on,” he said. Levi slammed the book closed and stood. 

Mike took him through a routine of stretches focusing on his chest. Levi coughed a lot, but the cough wasn't nearly as strong as it had been. He had to cough up mucus a couple of times, but other than that the stretches helped him feel better. Then, Mike began focusing on leg stretches. Levi did every stretch that Mike demanded, but began to tire. 

“I'm tired,” Levi said. 

“We're done then,” Mike said. Levi got back into bed and coughed into his handkerchief. Mike picked the book from the bookshelf that he was reading the day before. He sat down and began reading to Levi from where they left off. 

Levi laid down and closed his eyes. He drifted to sleep again but only slept for a few minutes. Mike was still reading when Levi woke up. Levi sat up in bed and Mike stopped reading. Levi felt of his own forehead.

“My fever broke,” Levi said. 

“That's good,” Mike said. 

“You don't want to go back to work?” 

“No,” Mike said. 

“Why?” 

“Because Erwin wants me here. He also paid me with lunch,” Mike said. 

“I'll tell him I told you to leave. He won't blame you,” Levi said. 

“That's not the point.” Levi stared at Mike. He felt like Mike didn't like him, and he didn't understand why he wouldn't want to leave. Mike began reading from the book again. 

Levi stayed sitting up in bed and let his mind wander. At first, he was only wondering why Mike and Hange had been so willing to help him. Or to help Erwin. He wondered why Erwin had gone to such great lengths for him the night before. Levi thought back through his life and realized that many people had seemingly sacrificed for him. The man who raised him after his mother died seemed to dedicate so much time to him only to leave him. However, these people didn't have the option to abandon him. They only had the option to die if they wanted out of the military. Levi thought about that for a long time. 

Without his permission, his mind wandered back to the night before. He thought of Erwin's long, bare legs. He flushed and bit his finger mindlessly.

“You're thinking about this too hard,” Mike said. Levi took his finger out of his mouth and lifted his head to look at Mike. 

“What?” 

“You're thinking too hard,” Mike said. “Stop analyzing it so much.” Levi frowned and was confused. He decided Mike must be talking about the book. 

“Hange says these books are full of shit.”

“Don't repeat that to anyone,” Mike said gravely. He wanted to say more. He wanted to tell Levi to stop trying to figure out why people were helping him. It would be a shame for Levi to die from an illness with his talent for killing Titans. Mike closed the book and stood from his chair. He returned the book to the book shelf. Mike sat in the windowsill and waited for Erwin to come back. He felt like he didn't need to stay with Levi, but he didn't feel right about leaving before Erwin came back. 

Levi picked up the book he had set aside and opened it. He pretended to read it. He was deep in thought when Mike stood from the window sill. Mike walked out of the room without a word and didn't close the door behind him. Mike's footsteps faded and Levi went back to actually reading without his finger in his mouth. He finished the book quickly.

Erwin walked through the door a few minutes later. 

“Mike was in a hurry,” Erwin said. “Did you say something to him?” 

“Barely,” Levi said. Erwin frowned and closed the door. 

“Thank you for tidying up the room this morning,” Erwin said. He saw the pillow had been returned to the cot and the cot was arranged to make it look like he had slept in it. Erwin took off his boots and the other parts of his uniform that were uncomfortable. 

Erwin took his cigarettes from the table next to his chair. He sat in the windowsill and lit his cigarette. Levi continued to read without saying a word. He buried his face in the book. 

“Everyone was talking about the possibility of you dying today,” Erwin said. Levi set the book down. 

“Why?” 

“When you make a comeback, they'll respect you,” Erwin said. “They'll stop berating you about being from the Underground.” Levi was confused. 

“What the hell does it matter?” 

“They've never been down there, Levi. They don't know what it's like. They think it's a filthy place with filthy people,” Erwin dragged on his cigarette. Levi thought back to the what his Squad Leader had said about keeping his bunk clean. He cringed. “So we're going to give them an option to think about what it would be like to fight Titans without you.” 

“That's stupid,” Levi said. 

“That's what Mike said,” Erwin said with a smile. “Word spreads quickly around here. I only had to tell everyone you were very sick and they've completely perverted it into a life or death situation themselves by spreading rumors among themselves.” 

“How long have you been manipulating people, Erwin?” 

“Since my father,” Erwin paused and phrased it correctly. “ Since my father died. Before that he was able to get everything that I needed for me. After he died, I needed to find a new way to get things that I needed and wanted.” Erwin shrugged. “If either of us is a filthy person, Levi, it's me.” Levi furrowed his brow. He didn't think of Erwin that way. 

“You're good at it,” he said. “That will make it hard to trust you.” 

“But you'll know it when I'm manipulating you, Levi,” Erwin said. He dragged on his cigarette again. “Most people aren't able to see what I'm doing to them. Also, the longer you spend with me, the more you'll be able to see through it.” 

Levi balled up his fists. Erwin thought he had manipulated him, but Levi knew what was going on the whole time. He also knew that being taken care of like he had for two days was a manipulation. Erwin wanted to draw him in closer. He wanted him to make friends. 

“So now that you've realized what's going on, Levi,” Erwin said. “What will you do?” Erwin's intense blue eyes focused on Levi. 

“I'll do what I want,” Levi said. Erwin chuckled. 

“That's why I trust you, Levi. You'll do what you want no matter what words or actions I use to direct you in a way I want you to go. So few actually have a will as strong as yours,” Erwin nodded. “I need someone to keep me in check. Mike is quick, but it takes him a little longer to follow my train of thought. He thinks two steps ahead, and I'm already five steps ahead of him.” Erwin enjoyed his cigarette for a while. 

“I'm not educated like you, Erwin,” Levi said. Erwin furrowed his brow. 

“It has nothing to do with an official education, Levi. You didn't just survive in the Underground; you thrived. You're able to read people like I read books. I had to go to ridiculous lengths to keep you from knowing I had already turned the paperwork over to Zackley,” Erwin said. He didn't talk anymore past that. He didn't want Levi to think that he was gloating about that. He wasn't proud of it. It just had to be done. 

Levi ran his hand through his hair. It was tangled and needed combing. His hand would have to do for now. He needed to decide what he wanted to do. He didn't believe he could trust Erwin. 

“Are you ever going to lie to me?” Levi asked and stared at Erwin. He was looking for any sign in Erwin's face that he was lying now. Erwin looked Levi in the eye.

“No,” Erwin said. “I'll give you orders without reason. I'll hide information from you. You won't know what's going on sometimes. I'll never lie to you though, Levi. I won't have to. I'll put the fate of humanity above everything including both of our lives. No matter what strange things I ask of you, you will always know my motivation.” Levi nodded. That was plenty more than anyone had ever given him. 

“The next expedition is in about three weeks?” 

“Right,” Erwin said. He put his cigarette out. “You might be a lot better now, but you actually need to rest until the expedition.” Erwin walked over to Levi and felt of his forehead. “When did your fever break?”

“This morning, I think,” Levi said. “I woke up in the middle of four-eyes talking and had to pretend to sleep for the rest of the time.” Erwin closed the window and then sat in his chair. 

“You can probably go back to work the day after tomorrow,” Erwin said. 

“That's a fast time line for a deadly disease,” Levi said.

“They won't care. They'll be too shocked. I'm going to tell Hange and Mike that they don't need to stay with you tomorrow and not to say a word about you. After people see them at work, combined with me not saying a word about you, they'll assume the worst and then you'll show up the next day,” Erwin said. “You won't be able to do PT for a few days, but you'll have to at least get one round in before you go on the expedition. I can't have you go weak on me.” 

“Hasn't the commander asked about me since I'm contagious with a deadly disease?” 

“He doesn't care about rumors in the barracks. He knows you have the flu,” Erwin said. “They added the doctor and medicine bill to what you owe the Military Police.” Levi groaned. Erwin chuckled. “You'll work it off in no time. You're still getting a quarter of your check, right?” Erwin knew that Levi didn't care about money. Levi cared about the obligation. 

“So what are we supposed to do until next month then?” Levi asked and sighed. 

“You'll be on light duty,” Erwin said. “If I need help with anything, I'll let you know.” The sun began sinking. 

“Are you hungry?” 

“No.” Erwin stood from the windowsill and left the room with the door open. He went down to the kitchen and saw the pot of soup from the mess hall he had ordered had been made and was sitting on the stove. He dipped out two bowls of soup and carried them back upstairs.

“You haven't eaten all day,” Erwin handed Levi a bowl. He sat down with his own and began eating. Levi stirred the soup. 

“This isn't from the mess hall.” 

“It's the same food. It's just made in the kitchen downstairs.” Levi tried it. It was exactly the same it just looked fresh. They ate in silence. Erwin finished and sat his bowl on the table next to his chair. Levi put his empty bowl under the bed so he wouldn't step on it in the morning. 

Erwin stood from his chair and began undressing for bed. Levi took the shirt he was wearing off and tossed it into Erwin's chair. He laid back and relaxed. 

Erwin checked the fire and grabbed the pillow from the cot. He crossed the room and crawled into bed with Levi. He covered up. 

“Erwin,” Levi said. “I've never slept in a bed with a man before.” 

“Really? I slept here last night,” Erwin said. Erwin sounded unsure of himself, and it made Levi feel like shit. “So you have.” Levi coughed and his face flushed. “Have you taken your medicine, Levi?” 

“I don't need it.” 

“Take it anyway,” Erwin said. He sat up in bed and poured some cough syrup into the medicine cup. He handed it to Levi along with the water cup. Erwin also took one of the decongestant capsules from the bottle and handed that to Levi. Levi took both of them and winced. 

“Why does it have to taste so bad?” Erwin took the water and medicine cup. 

“To motivate you to get better,” he said. He laid back down. Levi laid back down too facing away from Erwin. Levi moved his foot and it touched Erwin's foot. Levi jumped and pulled his foot away because it surprised him. He cleared his throat. Erwin didn't say anything and yawned. Levi fluffed his pillow under his head. His heart was racing for no reason. Levi didn't feel tired because he had slept during he day. He tried his best to rest. 

Erwin began gently snoring. Levi grinned. 

“What an old man,” Levi thought. He yawned and closed his eyes.


	3. Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is healthier and Erwin relieves Mike and Hange of duty to cause more rumors in the barracks. Levi spends the day entertaining himself with his favorite pastime.

When Erwin's alarm clock rang, both of them jumped from being awoken so sharply. Levi coughed and sat up. He rubbed the side of his head. He hadn't moved all night and his body ached from being in one place for so long. Sleeping horizontally was strange to him. Erwin sat up and turned off the alarm. He sat on the edge of the bed. 

Levi stood from the bed and went to piss. He then went to the kitchen for a hot pot of water like the day before. Erwin went to the toilet to pee first. He then dressed for work. He checked his bookcase and picked a different book. Levi came back to the room and made tea for them. Levi checked Erwin's tin of cigarettes. 

“You're last one?” 

“Save it for tonight then,” Erwin said. He sat in his chair. Levi handed him his tea cup and sat on the edge of the bed with his own. Erwin read to Levi and they both drank their tea quickly. After thirty minutes, Erwin closed the book and handed it to Levi. 

“Don't forget to tell Hange and Mike they're relieved for today,” Levi reminded Erwin. 

“I haven't forgotten. Try to entertain yourself for the day, but don't over-do it. Drink plenty of water,” Erwin said. He stood, adjusted his jacket and felt of Levi's forehead. “No fever today, I guess.” Levi pulled away from his hand. Erwin left, and Levi looked around the room. There wasn't much for entertainment, but he had already planned to clean the room for the day. Levi took his decongestant before he started. 

Levi spent the whole morning cleaning the entire room. Levi collected all the dishes they used and took them to kitchen. He took all of the linens to the laundry and dropped them off before anyone was on duty for laundry. He found fresh linens near the laundry area and redressed the bed including the pillow case. He also redressed the cot even though he thought they would do that when they returned it to the medical bay. He had to rest after that. Even that small amount of walking had tired him. He rested in Erwin's chair and even napped for a few minutes. He wrapped Erwin's shirt around him while he rested. 

Levi felt like cleaning some more after he rested. First, he laundered Erwin's shirt himself. He rinsed it in the bathroom sink. Then, he hung it on the rack in front of the fireplace to dry. 

Levi moved through the officers' quarters without concern. It was breakfast time, and most of the officers were either eating or already in meetings. He quietly searched the officer's quarters for a supply closet where he could find a broom, mop with a bucket and dusting rags. 

After he found the closet and collected all of the supplies he wanted, he swept, mopped and dusted the room. He had to rest between each task. He was also careful to sit down and relax when he began to cough. It was annoying to him that his body was so slow, but he also wanted to make sure he didn't raise his body temperature too much. He tidied up the fireplace and didn't bother stoking the embers for more warmth. The day was warm and Levi opened up the window for some fresh air. He couldn't see the walls from Erwin's room. 

Levi dusted around Erwin's bookshelf last. He read all of the titles on the spines of the books. Erwin had a wonderful collection of nonfiction, but there was a distinct lack of fiction. Levi wondered where Erwin had gained so much imagination without indulging in fantasy occasionally. 

When he felt like the room was properly cleaned, he collected the cleaning supplies and quietly returned them to the room where he found them. As he was returning the supplies, he heard footsteps and quickly hid in the closet. The footsteps passed by him and Levi sneaked back to Erwin's room. He drank a lot of water and laid in bed to rest. The clean sheets felt good. Levi yawned and closed his eyes to rest. He felt so tired when normally cleaning a single room was no great feat for him. He coughed and looked over at his medicine. Levi sat up and took half a dose of his cough syrup. He grimaced and drank some water. He laid back down and unintentionally fell asleep. 

When Erwin opened the door of his room to take Levi lunch, he thought he had walked into the wrong room. He leaned in and saw Levi asleep in the bed. Erwin stepped in the room and looked around. It was spotlessly cleaned. Levi must have worked all morning. Erwin shook his head and smiled. He set the bowl of potato soup on the table nearest Levi and left the room. 

Levi woke up soon after Erwin had left and ate the soup that was left for him. It was lukewarm and kind of gross, but he felt hungry. After lunch, Levi settled into Erwin's chair and read for the rest of the afternoon. He drank plenty of water and rested when he felt like it. 

Levi had to light a candle when he realized it was getting dark outside. He guessed that Erwin was running late. Erwin came into the room after the sun had set. Levi lifted his eyes from the book with confusion in his face, but quickly returned his gaze back to the pages. Erwin didn't say where he had been. He sat on the edge of the bed and took off his boots. He had brought a folded pile of Levi's uniforms with him for the next day. Erwin put a pair of boots down on the floor next to his. They were Levi's boots, small in comparison to his. 

“Everyone is asking about you,” Erwin said. Levi nodded. 

“Am I dead yet?” 

“Very close,” Erwin said. “I had a lot of people attempting to comfort me today.” 

“Mostly women,” Levi said. 

“Mostly,” Erwin said. Levi glared at the pages of his books. “I'm glad to be away from everyone though.” Levi relaxed. The emotions he felt in that moment strange to him. Erwin undressed all the way down to his underwear and opened the window. Erwin took his final cigarette from the tin and lit it. He sighed and felt a high from rush of the cigarette. He sat in the windowsill. Levi closed the book and sat it on the table next to him. 

“Isabel told me that a lot of the women found you very intimidating.” 

“I've always been told it's my stern face that turns people off.” Levi knew it was the eyebrows, but he didn't say it. “My room looks great.” Levi looked up. Erwin was looking down at him with a smile on his face. “Thank you.” Levi put his elbow up on the arm of the chair and rested his head in his hand so he didn't look directly at Erwin. 

“So,” Levi started. 

“Look at me, Levi.” Levi lifted his head from his hand and looked directly at Erwin. “I mean it. It's okay to feel proud of what you done. Thank you for cleaning my room.” Levi looked shocked, and Erwin wasn't sure whether he should have pushed so hard. 

Levi turned his face away from Erwin and cleared his throat. He felt like he would choke. “Thank you for taking care of me.” 

“You're welcome, Levi,” Erwin said. He smiled and dragged on his cigarette. “You're on supply depot tomorrow. It's inventory.” 

“Fucking hell,” Levi grumbled. 

“You'll do fine,” Erwin said and shook his head. Levi rolled his eyes. Levi stood from the chair and checked his uniform. All of it was there. He took his uniform and the book across the room to lay it out on the cot. He put the boots down in front of the cot. He also returned the book he was reading to Erwin's book shelf. 

“Did you go by my bunk for all of this?” 

“Yeah,” Erwin said. He dragged on his cigarette again. “That's where I got most of the questions. I insisted that I couldn't talk about your condition. There are all kinds of wild rumors flying around about what you've been through.” Levi realized that's what took Erwin so long to come back. Levi took Erwin's shirt from the rack by the fireplace and hung it up in the wardrobe. 

“Any interesting ones?” 

“You don't want to know,” Erwin said. He laughed out loud and for a few minutes.

“Those assholes.”

“Yeah,” Erwin said. “Except for you actually being sick, this has been one of the best social experiments I've ever done.” 

“Why would they say those things?”

“They've had a few days to let their imaginations run wild,” Erwin left the windowsill and crushed his cigarette in the ash tray. He closed the window and got into bed. Levi sat back down in the chair. Erwin yawned and rubbed his face. He put his hands under his head.“Be sure to focus on counting tomorrow, okay? If you do your job right the first time, the supervisor is going to be really grateful.” 

“Sure,” Levi said. Erwin was staring at the ceiling. Levi allowed himself to look at Erwin closer. His blonde hair was sprawled under his head, and his biceps were flexed due to his position. His chest was slightly visible over the covers. Levi redirected his eyes to his hands and tried to entertain himself by looking at them. Levi blew the candle out. It helped by making the room dark. The fire had finally gone out earlier.

Levi crawled into bed and faced away from Erwin. 

“Are these fresh sheets?” 

“Yeah,” Levi said. 

“Clean sheets always feel the best.” 

“I know,” Levi smiled in the dark. Erwin could hear the inflection in his voice. It sounded like Levi smiled when he said that. 

“Who you taught you how to clean, Levi?” 

“I taught myself.” Levi was surprised he answered the question. It was so dark in the room that he had lowered his guard. 

“It makes you happy?” Erwin listened intently, and Levi didn't answer. Erwin closed is eyes and rolled on his side facing away from Levi. Erwin fell asleep quickly and began his soft snoring. 

“It makes me happy,” Levi whispered to himself. Levi closed his eyes and coughed a little. He frowned. He had forgotten his medicine. He muffled his cough with the pillow. He considered getting out of bed for his medicine, but he didn't want to disturb Erwin. He focused on relaxing. He coughed a little more, but he was asleep after just a few minutes.


	4. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi has to assist with inventory at the supply depot and is uncomfortable with the amount of attention that he is getting from other soldiers. Erwin and Mike's wager is fulfilled.

When Erwin's alarm clock went off, he sat up and turned off the alarm. He had slept well, but he felt sluggish. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. He didn't hear Levi sit up in bed. Erwin reached around to tap Levi, but his hand fell down to a bare bed. Erwin rubbed his face and lit a candle next to his bed. He looked over to the cot and Levi's uniform was gone. Levi wasn't supposed to report to the supply depot until 6:30. Erwin shook his head and stared at the ceiling. 

“For humanity,” he said. He dropped his head. “I'm getting out of bed today for humanity,” he whispered to himself. “Today is the day for humanity.” Erwin yawned again and stood to stretch. It was hard for him to get ready for work without any tea and no cigarette. He decided to read out loud even if Levi wasn't around. It helped him wake up, and he drank some water. 

Levi had already started his day. He knew that he would be early, but he heard that inventory was difficult. He was concerned about working slower than usual. He arrived at the supply depot thirty minutes early. The only person there was the team leader who was supervising the count. 

“You're early?” He obviously surprised. 

“I'm Levi.” 

“I know,” he said. “I'm Team Leader Matis Gras. You look really good for being so close to death's door yesterday.” Levi shrugged. “Either way, I'm glad you're here. Are you ready to start?” Levi nodded. The officer gave him his task and Levi started. Gradually other soldiers filed in and reported for duty. Because Levi was there already no one seemed to notice him. That's what he had counted on. He had hoped every one would be too tired and dreading the task so much they would overlook him. 

Levi finished his count early enough to do a quick double check of his section. He reported to the officer. 

“Good job, Levi!” Gras said. “There's a small section over here. Can you do that one too?” Levi took the second spreadsheet and went directly to the second section. That's when he heard the whispers. 

“That's Levi?” a soldier asked another.

“I thought he was dead,” someone said. Levi rolled his eyes and kept counting. The second section was such much smaller that he knew he could finish by the end of the day. When lunch time came, he sighed and gave his spreadsheet back to the team leader.

He walked to the mess hall by himself, but he had a steady crowd behind him whispering. He managed to keep his temper though. When he entered the mess hall, he saw that Mike and Hange were already seated together with several other people at a table. Levi went through the line to get his tray and then sat next to Mike in an empty seat. 

“Levi!” Hange exclaimed. “You look better! I'm glad.” 

Levi began eating his lunch. Hange talked the whole time and he and Mike ate quickly. Other conversations continued around them. Occasionally Mike would acknowledge Hange if she asked a question, but they didn't encourage her much. Levi looked at Hange's plate and saw she had barely touched her food. He wondered how she could expend so much energy with so little food. 

“Hange,” Levi said. Mike tensed. He prepared himself for Levi to say something hateful. “When can I take that test?” Mike stood up from his seat and looked at Levi with horror. Hange melted and held her hands in front of her heart. Her eyes shined with tears. 

“Levi!” she squealed and jumped over the table to hug him! Levi jumped backwards away from the table. Hange went over the edge of the table and began to fall. Mike grabbed the back of her shirt and saved her face from hitting the floor. Many others began to stand as if they were about to run. Mike lifted Hange up and helped her get her balance back. “Levi! You can take it anytime! I'm available anytime you want to take it.” Hange's smile was huge, and Levi turned and walked away. Others began to abandon their trays too and exit the mess hall. 

Levi quickly headed back to the supply depot. That was too much. He thought maybe it was a mistake to ask her that during lunch. 

Levi reported back in for the rest of his count. Gras returned the spreadsheet back to him and nodded with a smile. Levi continued to count his second area. He realized the section was smaller but there were many smaller items. He had to move items around sometimes to make sure he had counted all of them. The section took the rest of the day, but he finished before everyone else. 

Levi handed the spreadsheet of numbers back to the officer. 

“Thanks,” Gras said. “I'll see you tomorrow for second count.” 

“Sure,” he said. “If I'm looking for someone specifically, how do I find them?” 

“Who are you looking for?” 

“Squad Leader Hange,” Levi said quietly. 

“Oh,” the officer cleared his throat. “Typically Squad Leader Hange is in the Intelligence Division on the East side.” Levi left and headed towards the East side of the headquarters. He wanted to get it over with. 

Thankfully, when Levi found Hange, Mike was still with her. So he kept Hange at bay with her attempts of physical contact. After so many times of stopping her, Mike finally tired of it. 

“Hange,” Mike grunted. 

“What, Mike?” 

“He doesn't like being touched,” Mike said. Hange raised her eyebrows. 

“I'm sorry,” she said instantly. “I'll refrain, I promise.” She gave Levi a big smile and held her hands up apologetically, but was also trying to stop herself from touching him.

“I'm ready for the test,” Levi said. 

“Let's go!” Hange squealed with delight and pointed in a random direction. She led the way to a classroom and Levi sat at one of the front desks. Mike came with them, but Levi didn't know why. Mike sat in one of the desks and Hange stood in front of Levi. Levi took the test and handed it back to Hange. She began reading it over and teared up a little. 

“What?” Levi asked. He didn't understand her intense emotions. 

“You listened to every word I said?” she asked with a weepy voice. 

“Captive audience,” Mike provided. 

“Thank you, Levi,” Hange said. “If I can show this to the Commanders, I think they're going to let us focus some more effort on Titan research,” she nodded with clear purpose. “I just needed to show them that a written test can have merit among so many practical tests.”

“Good,” Levi stood from the desk and began leaving the room. 

“Where are you going, Levi? Don't you want to know your score?” 

“I'm hungry,” Levi said and turned to look at her. 

“Oh! Of course,” she nodded. “You do need your strength. I'll grade it on our way.” Hange and Mike followed him to the mess hall. They ate again. Hange didn't talk so much. She was reading the test the entire time. A large portion of the test was essay format. “You have pretty handwriting, Levi.” Mike snorted a laugh. Levi choked on his water and coughed. Mike patted him on the back. 

“Okay,” Levi said. He cleared his throat to make sure he wouldn't drown again. He drank some more water and was able to get all of it down. 

“I've finished,” Hange said. She wrote something on the test, and gave it to Levi. Levi looked at it. He had gotten ninety percent correct. 

“What did I get wrong?” 

“Titans don't eat humans because they're hungry,” Hange said. “In fact, I don't think they need to eat at all. I just don't know how to prove that yet.” Levi nodded. He slid the test across the table to Hange. “Are you sad that you didn't get a perfect score?” 

“Not really,” Levi said. Hange looked a little hurt. “I passed out during some of what you had said, Hange. There's no way I could get all of it right.” Mike smiled. Hange's smile returned. 

“Right!” she said. “You did well, Levi!” Levi stood from the table. 

“I'm going to bed. I've been counting all day,” he said. 

“Good night,” Mike said. 

“Bye, Levi!” Hange waved. Levi bussed his tray and headed to the barracks. 

Levi thought that if he went to bed early that he would avoid a lot of men asking questions. As he began to get closer to the barracks, he noticed more and more soldiers standing around. He turned a corner and saw an entire crowd filling the hallway. The small area erupted into cheers and congratulations. Levi took a step back and stepped on someone else's foot. He turned and there were just as many soldiers behind him! 

“Levi!” Flaxman ran up to Levi. “We're so glad you're better! We were so worried!” Flaxman offered his hand for Levi to shake. Levi felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He would have to do this. He thought back to Erwin. Levi really wanted to make things a little easier for him. 

Levi shook Flaxman's hand. After that, many others lined up to make contact with Levi. Levi had no words, and he focused only on getting past the crowd and getting to bed. 

“Hey, everyone!” Flaxman stood next to Levi and held his arms out. “I bet he's exhausted. I heard he had supply depot duty today.” There were gasps from the crowd. 

“Squad Leader Erwin made him do inventory?” one soldier asked. 

“What a dick!” another screamed. 

“He's a sick man!” someone else said. 

“Right!” Flaxman said. “So he needs rest. Recount is tomorrow.” The crowd parted, and Levi walked through. There was a wall of soldiers and salutes all the way to his bunk. He took off his boots and sat in bed.

“Don't salute me,” Levi said. “I'm the same rank as you.” The men dropped their hands and grinned. He sat down to take off his boots. Levi checked his locker, and he saw his medicine bottles were sitting in the corner of his locker. They were in the farthest corner from Isabel and Furlan's things. He reached down into the locker and measured out a half dose of cough medicine. He took it and shook his head. He had no water around him to drink. He swallowed one of his decongestants and grimaced. 

Levi couldn't stand the taste. He closed his locker and went to the washroom to drink water from the sink faucet. He also washed his face. The barracks was bustling with men getting ready to lay down for the night.

Levi went back to the bunk room and crawled into bed facing the wall. He tucked the covers around him and sighed. He wasn't sleepy. Inventory wasn't very difficult, and he didn't understand the fuss. It had been tiring to stand all day. He was glad Mike made him do stretches while he was ill. 

Men began getting into the bed for the night, and candles were blown out. Levi frowned readjusted in bed. He couldn't get comfortable so he sat up and put his back to the wall. The bed wasn't as comfortable as Erwin's bed or the chair. Levi yawned and wondered what recount would be like. 

Levi's mind drifted to Erwin. He wondered if Erwin was in bed right now staring at his ceiling. Maybe he was reading one of his books and smoking. Levi frowned. Erwin was out of cigarettes. He imagined that would be really annoying. Erwin seemed to be very ritualistic. 

Levi fell asleep thinking about how annoyed Erwin must be. He napped throughout the night.


	5. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi begins creating stronger bonds with the soldiers around him, Erwin, Hange and Mike. Levi feels the heavy weight of the responsibility that he is obligated to carry as humanity's strongest.

When the barracks bell rang for morning PT, men began jumping out of their bunks from top and bottom. Levi rubbed his eyes. He had gotten used to the quiet in the morning while he stayed with Erwin. He stood from his bunk and put on his boots. He took another decongestant and headed to the toilet. The first shift of men were already running in the direction of the PT field. 

Levi used the toilet and washed his face again. He felt very tired even though he knew that he had slept   
quite a bit during the night. 

Levi skipped breakfast and made time to stop by the financial office in headquarters. He had gotten paid again, and he wanted to see if he had enough money for some supplies. He withdrew some money and pocketed it. 

When Levi reported for duty, Gras seemed very pleased to see him. 

“Good morning, Levi!” Gras smiled. “Great work yesterday. Hey, I hate to do this to you, but I'm going to have to give you a section that I don't think was counted correctly. Just do your best.” Gras handed Levi the spreadsheet of the original count and Levi looked at it. 

Levi went to the assigned section and began counting. As Levi worked down the spreadsheet, he began to understand that whoever was assigned to this section was a complete shit head. None of their numbers were right. The numbers weren't even off by one or two. Everything was off by five to seven units. He shook his head. He knew a triple count would be necessary. Levi continued on the section, and diligently counted every unit carefully. 

When other soldiers began breaking for lunch, Levi frowned. He was hungry, but he also wanted to continue. 

Gras saw that Levi wasn't making a move to go to the mess hall. 

“Levi, I can bring you something,” Gras said. Levi raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah,” Levi said. “Please.” He turned and continued counting. Gras was surprised to hear Levi be polite. He had heard that Levi had terrible manners. 

“Sure thing!” Gras waved and walked away from the supply depot. Levi continued his count and double counted if he felt like he had missed even a single unit. He had only completed five unit counts in the section and it was already lunch time. He shook his head. He was distracting himself with the numbers from the first count. 

Levi went to the desk of the supply depot supervisor and found a blank sheet of paper. He covered the numbers in the column of the first count and continued to count as if he was doing the first count. His work went much faster then. 

When Gras returned with some bread for Levi, he took a break to eat quickly. Gras picked up Levi's clip board and saw the blank piece of paper. 

“Why did you cover the original numbers?” 

“Because the shit head that counted first was so off with their count that it's distracting me.” 

“So you're pretending to be first count?” When Gras said it like that, Levi felt childish. 

“I just don't want their numbers staring me in the face the whole time,” he said. 

“Huh,” Gras said. He sat the clipboard back down and went back to his own counts. Levi finished his lunch quickly and went back to work. He went much faster and finished the rest of the section in only an hour. 

Levi returned his spreadsheet to Gras after he removed the blank piece of paper. 

“Yeah,” Gras shook his head when he looked at the numbers. “We're going to have to do a third count. Can I sign you up for a third count tomorrow?” 

“Yeah. Do you have more work for me today?” Gras raised his eyebrows. 

“I've actually already assigned the rest of the recounts,” Gras flipped through his papers. “By the way, your counts from yesterday were perfect. The person who recounted your section was able to leave right after lunch because they were so accurate.” 

“Good,” Levi said. 

“I don't mind you taking off the rest of the day,” Gras said with a smile. 

“I want to buy something,” Levi said. 

“Oh, sure!” 

“I saw you have red plum jam?” 

“Yeah.” 

“How much?” 

“It's expensive,” Gras said almost apologetically. “It's twelve for the smallest jar.” Levi pulled out his money and counted it. He handed the money to Gras. Gras went to the back room and grabbed a jar for him and he handed it to Levi. 

“Hey,” Gras handed put down a tobacco ration card with a single stamp on it and a new tin full of cigarettes. “These are on me. I know you've been sick lately so you may not want to smoke them yourself, but you can make a lot of friends with these. You do good work, Levi.” Gras wrapped Levi's jam in some paper to protect the glass. Gras gave Levi a big smile. 

“Thanks,” Levi said. He put his tobacco ration card in his pocket and left with his items. 

Levi went back to the barracks and put the jam and cigarettes along with his tobacco ration card in his locker. He then went to the training ground and did some of the stretches that Mike taught him. He also did some very light strength training. He began coughing while lifting weights, and had to sit up to catch his breath. He decided he had enough. 

After a shower at the barracks, Levi went back to his locker. He took the cigarettes out and put them in one of his pockets where the tin wouldn't make a lot of noise. He left the jam in the paper and took it to the mess hall with him. 

Levi stood in line with his tray and then sat down with Mike and Hange. Hange was reading, and Levi found it strange that she wasn't talking to Mike about anything. They must have had a slow day. Levi put the jam next to Mike and slid it close to him. 

Hange lifted her gaze from her book and looked at the item wrapped in paper. She glanced between Levi and Mike a few times. 

“Levi?” she asked. Levi was eating his dinner and didn't say a word. “Mike,” Hange said urgently.  
“Open it!” Mike looked at the paper suspiciously. Mike grabbed the small item in his hand and ripped off the top of the paper instead of opening it carefully. He looked inside and gasped. 

“Mike!” Hange screamed. “Show it to me!” He took the little jam jar out of the paper and showed it to Hange. 

“Red plum,” Mike said. He opened the jar and it popped when the seal was broken. He smelled the contents and sighed. 

“Levi!” Hange squealed. Mike spread some of the jam on his bread. Many other soldiers were watching. Mike bit into the bread and groaned. 

“By the walls,” Mike said. 

“MIKE!” Hange screamed. Mike shoved part of the bread with the jam on it into Hange's mouth. She stopped talking and groaned. 

“Mmm,” Hange said. Levi covered his mouth and grinned behind his hand. Mike and Hange chewed in silence. Mike broke off a piece of bread and dipped it into the jam. He handed the piece to Levi. Levi took it and put it in his mouth. 

“Oh,” Levi said involuntarily. Hange and Mike nodded. They all shared their bread and Mikes jam for the rest of dinner. Other soldiers were staring. Mike had some left in the jar after they had finished. He closed the jar and held it in his hand. Levi stood from the table to bus his tray. 

“Thank you,” Mike said. Levi stopped and nodded but was unable to say anything. Levi bused his tray and left the mess hall. He headed towards the officers' quarters. 

When he walked by the building, he was always surprised to see there were no late night candles burning. He always expected that officers would be up working late. Erwin's window was open, but he wasn't sitting in the windowsill. He was either already asleep or hadn't come home yet. Levi looked around for a rock to throw through the window to see if Erwin would hear it. He thought that was stupid though. 

He pulled the cigarette tin out of his pocket and looked at it. Levi reared back and threw it through the window. He made it with the first shot. That way, Erwin would find them when he woke up or came home. Levi heard the tin make a “clunk” sound, and he began walking back to the barracks. 

Erwin sat up in bed and saw the tin of cigarettes on the moonlit floor. He jumped out of bed and grabbed it. Erwin ran through the officers' quarters as quickly as he could in his bare feet. He reached the front door and threw it open. He leaned out of the door and saw Levi walking away. 

“Levi,” he said. He spoke as quietly as he could for Levi to still hear him. Levi turned and looked at Erwin. “Tea time,” he said firmly. Levi obediently walked back and into the officers' quarters. Erwin closed the door behind him quietly. Erwin was wearing his sleeping pants and a loose shirt. 

“You were in bed?” 

“Get the hot water and I'll see you upstairs,” Erwin was already inspecting the cigarettes and headed to his windowsill. Levi did as he was told. He brought the hot water and two tea cups to Erwin's room. Erwin was already enjoying a cigarette. Levi went to the wardrobe and looked at the tea. “Don't I have a really expensive tea in there?” 

“Yeah?” Levi said. 

“Is it stale?” Levi grabbed it out of the wardrobe and opened it. He smelled of the leaves. 

“No.” 

“Let's have that then,” Erwin said. Erwin stood from the windowsill and lit a candle so Levi could see the tin. Levi read the tin, and it was only black tea. It just had some more delicate ingredients in it to change the flavor. Erwin sat back down in the windowsill and continued his cigarette. Levi measured out the tea and timed the steeping as always. When it was finished, he handed Erwin his cup. 

“Here.” Erwin took the cup and smelled of it. 

“Last time I tried this, I didn't like it much,” Erwin said. He took a sip of the tea and nodded. “I must have made it wrong.” 

“You probably steeped it too long,” Levi said. He sat down with his tea and smelled of it. Erwin looked down at the new tin of cigarettes and cringed. 

“So where did you get these?”

“The supply depot supervisor bought them for me as,” Levi paused and thought of the right word. “A reward, I think.” 

“A reward?” Erwin asked. Levi nodded. 

“For getting my counts correct on the first count.” Erwin raised his eyebrows. Levi tried the tea and held it in his mouth savoring it. Erwin drank his tea quickly. He was so relieved that Mike had not told Levi about their wager. He wasn't sure Levi would care, but he found it to be a bit embarrassing. Erwin had felt a rush of emotion when he thought Levi was angry with him though. 

“I bought some jam for Mike too.” Erwin was surprised. 

“I didn't know that Mike liked jam.” 

“Me either,” Levi said. “He and shitty-glasses liked it so much I thought they were going stick their dicks in it.” Erwin laughed loudly. Levi grinned into his tea cup. 

“It would be so sticky,” Erwin said while continuing to laugh. 

“Ugh!” Levi said. He sat his cup down and covered his mouth. “Erwin, don't say shit like that. Fucking disgusting images in my head.” Erwin continued to laugh, and Levi chuckled. That was the first time Erwin had ever seen Levi laugh. Erwin smiled broadly and shook his head. Levi picked his tea back up and drank some more of it. 

“I have a tobacco ration card now,” Levi said. “How does it work?” 

“It's best to fill your tin about once a week,” Erwin said. 

“How many fit in a tin?” 

“Eighteen,” Erwin said. 

“Two a day?” 

“Yeah. I miscount sometimes, or I purposely reward myself with more. That's how I run out so quickly sometimes.” Levi shrugged. 

“Third count happens tomorrow,” Levi said. “After inventory is over, what will I do?” 

“Well what do you think of the cleanliness of the headquarters?” Levi thought about all of the places he had been. 

“It's tidy, but it's not very clean.” Erwin nodded. 

“I was thinking that you would help the maintenance crew and show them your methods.” 

“Isn't it kind of odd for me to go in and show them how to do their job?” 

“Don't think of it like that,” Erwin said. He finished his cigarettes and crushed it in his ashtray. “You'll go in there and probably do their work better and faster. They'll be naturally curious and start following some of your methods.” Erwin drank some more of his tea. 

“I guess,” Levi said. 

“You'll be sharing something you love with other people, Levi.” Levi nodded. 

“Yeah.” 

“I need you to be used to being around a lot of people, Levi,” Erwin said. “If you're going to be my Captain one day, then you're going to have to be comfortable being around a lot of different people on a daily basis.” Erwin smiled. “And as long as I'm around, you'll have a place to hide from everyone when you're tired.” Erwin pulled his shirt off and tossed it on the bed. Levi's eyes widened and he blew the candle out. Erwin frowned. 

“Why did you do that?” 

“We shouldn't waste your candle if we aren't reading,” Levi said. Erwin couldn't see Levi's face very well in the dark. Some clouds began moving over the moon. 

“You're a natural leader, Levi. You'll get used to spending time around a lot of people at once.” Levi sat in the dark and stared down into his tea cup. 

“Erwin,” Levi said very quietly. “I can't lead these people.” 

“You will,” Erwin said. “I'll drag you the whole way if I have to.” 

“Erwin,” Levi said. “I will not do it.” Something about Levi's tone made irritation run up Erwin's spine. Erwin stared into the darkness where Levi was sitting. 

“Anymore?” Erwin knew that he had cut too deeply and quickly. Levi stood from his chair and headed towards the door. Erwin left the windowsill and grabbed Levi's arm. Levi pulled his arm back roughly and faced Erwin. In the dark, Erwin saw that Levi's body language had turned defensive. “What did I say that frightened you so much, Levi?” 

“Nothing! You pissed me off!” Levi insisted. Erwin walked around him and stood in front of the door. Levi could have easily jumped out of the window and made an escape, but he didn't think he would. 

“Tell me why.” 

“No.” 

“If you don't lead, then the Survey Corps will not be around for very long.” 

“That's not my fucking fault!” 

“You're right! It's the Titans fault!” Erwin had accidentally raised his voice too much, and he brought his voice back down to a firm tone. “There have been multiple times that the Military Police or Garrisons have demanded that we disband and be appropriated to their ranks, Levi. So many of us die that no one is ever sure that we are worth the tax money. The Survey Corps will not survive without fighters like you and Mike. We'll turn into lazy drunkards who are satisfied being pinned like livestock.” 

“Maybe that's for the best,” Levi said. Erwin stepped forward involuntarily and was so angry that he felt like punching Levi right in his mouth. Instead he wrapped his arms around Levi quickly. He pulled him in and held tightly. Levi struggled and pushed against Erwin. Erwin held tighter the more he struggled. Levi thought of the knife in his boot.

“Do not lose focus, Levi. Please maintain your determination. If you can give me time to make things happen, you will never regret anything you have done.” Levi stopped struggling. He was strong despite his stature, but Erwin held him so tightly that Levi couldn't get away. Levi coughed into Erwin's bare chest, but Erwin didn't let go. “Give me time, Levi. I can earn your trust.” 

“Let me go.” 

“No,” Erwin said. “I can't until you say you won't cut me.” 

“I won't,” Levi said. They stood there like that awkwardly. Levi pushed against Erwin again, and Erwin let go this time. Levi stepped back and covered his mouth while he coughed some more. 

“I'm sorry,” Erwin said. “I forgot that you haven't fully recovered.”

“Erwin,” Levi said breathing heavily. “Can you tell me that there will be a world without Titans one day?” 

“No,” Erwin said. “I only know that our efforts will pave the way for the next generation. They will have so much of a better chance because of us Levi. There are little girls and boys throughout the walls that idolize what we do because it's literally the only action we're taking against the Titans.” 

“So in their generation?” 

“I don't know, Levi. I just know that if we don't try, those children are going to die without hope.” Erwin wrapped his arms around himself. Levi stood there in the dark staring at where he thought Erwin's long legs were. Levi knelt on one knee and found himself completely overwhelmed. Erwin hated seeing such a strong man fall to his knees with that weight. Levi reached for his boot, but he didn't pull his knife out. He wanted to. He wanted to run away, but he found himself unable to move. 

“I'm going to lead so many people to their deaths, Erwin.” Levi said weakly. Erwin walked over to Levi and offered his hand. 

“And in the process we can lead humanity to freedom, Levi.” Levi did not take Erwin's hand at first. Eventually, he put his hand in Erwin's and stood. He adjusted his uniform and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I've never met anyone with such a wild spirit and strong will, Levi.” 

“It's a flaw sometimes.” 

“I think it's wonderful,” Erwin said. Levi's heart skipped a beat and he froze there in the dark. “It means, that when I earn your trust, you will never waver.” Levi had never had anyone speak to him that way before. He had never been so humbled.

“Yeah,” Levi said. 

“So I'm going to do everything in my power to gain that trust Levi.” Erwin smiled. “No matter what.” Levi nodded. He lifted his arm and held his hand over his heart in salute. Levi thought Erwin would not be able to see the motion in the dark because the room was so dark. Erwin saw. 

“Erwin,” Levi said. “I'm going to kill the Titans and lead humanity towards freedom. I can vow that now.” Erwin surrendered his heart. 

“I also vow,” Erwin said. They released their salutes. “I'm sorry, Levi.” 

“Why?” 

“I never intend for our conversations to lead to this.” 

“It's necessary,” Levi said. 

“But we should have time to be human too. The weight of this responsibility is so crushing.” 

“You made me laugh earlier,” Levi said. Erwin thought back and had only thought that Levi had laughed at the content of the conversation. 

“Do you resent me for this burden, Levi?” There was a long silence between them. The clouds moved away from the moon and Erwin could see Levi much better. Levi was looking up at Erwin's face. Erwin's blue eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight. 

“No,” Levi said. “I chose this path.” Erwin smiled. An idea came to Erwin, and he felt some excitement grow into his chest. 

“What are you going to do with your personal days this year?” 

“I don't have plans.” 

“Can you take off the afternoon of October 14th and the morning of October 15th?” 

“Yeah?” Levi thought it was strange to ask for time off so far in advance.

“Please do so then.” 

“Fine,” Levi said. “We should,” Levi paused and rephrased his words. “I'm going to bed.” Levi walked past Erwin. 

“Goodnight, Levi,” Erwin said. 

“Goodnight,” Levi left the room and closed the door gently behind him. Levi and Hange passed each other as she was heading to bed. Levi didn't say anything to her, and kept walking. His facial expression was grim. Hange frowned. She went to Erwin's door and knocked. 

Erwin opened the door, and Hange was standing there. It was highly irregular for Hange to pay him a visit. Erwin remembered he wasn't wearing his shirt. 

“Sorry,” he turned and went to the bed to grab his shirt. He put it on. “What is it, Hange?” Hange didn't come into the room or shut the door. 

“Is Levi okay?” Hange seemed genuinely concerned.

“No,” Erwin said. Hange came into the room and closed the door. 

“Why?” 

“Do you remember when you first realized that humanity would fail or succeed because of you, Hange?” 

“Yes,” she said. “But I didn't look like Levi looked just now.” 

“Right,” Erwin said. “However, Levi has been legitimately hopeless before.” Hange shook her head.

“I don't understand, Erwin.” 

“I'm saying that you have a light heart, Hange, and that's a gift Levi just doesn't have.” 

“Oh,” Hange said. She stood there in silence thinking about Erwin's words. “But Levi is going to be okay?” 

“Yeah,” Erwin nodded. “He will. He'll adapt.” 

“Can I help?” Hange asked. “You should've seen Mike earlier. Levi bought him some jam, and I thought he would put his whole face in that tiny jar.” Erwin laughed. 

“You can help,” Erwin said. “Have you scheduled your personal days this year?” 

“Yes,” Hange said. 

“All of them?” 

“Yep,” Hange said. “I'm going home for my birthday this year.” 

“Okay,” Erwin said. “Levi is going to spend spending my birthday with us this year.” 

“Oh, good!” Hange laughed. “That will be good for him. Good night, Erwin!” Hange left the room without giving Erwin time to tell her his plans. Erwin undressed for bed, but he sat in his chair instead. He let his head rest against the back of the chair and stared into the dark room. 

“Going home,” Erwin said. “That must be nice.”


End file.
